


The Kendall Morgan Support Squad

by predilection



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-12
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-06 08:38:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5410241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/predilection/pseuds/predilection
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kendall Morgan works hard to support the rangers. This story is a glimpse of some of the things the rangers do to support her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Kendall Morgan Support Squad

**Author's Note:**

> Dino Charge family feels featuring the Kendall Morgan Support Squad. ♥
> 
> This is set after there's a graphite ranger but before the finale of season one.

**Chase**

Chase eyed the garbage on Kendall's workbench warily. The garbage wasn't anything new -- Kendall's workbench often looked like a fast food graveyard -- but today it was covered with so many paper wrappers and empty cups that Chase wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"When was the last time you had a home cooked meal?" he asked Kendall.

She gestured at the experiment she was conducting. "Do I look like I have time to cook?"

"Well, no," Chase admitted. He poked at what seemed to be the wrappers from at least five bronto burgers. "But you can't keep eating like this."

Kendall looked up at him and pointedly raised an eyebrow in his direction. "You offering to cook for me?" she asked, her tone skeptical, and he knew she was trying to shut him up.

"I could," he replied easily. "Or even better, we could go out for dinner. I know a nice Greek place in walking distance that serves--"

"I'm not going on a date with you," Kendall said, cutting him off.

"Who said anything about a date?" Chase asked. "I just think it would do you some good to eat something other than a burger."

Kendall's eyebrows furrowed and he could tell that she was considering it.

"Come on, Kendall," he said. "It'll be my treat."

"Okay," she said, but immediately jabbed a finger in his direction. "But only if we're gone for less than two hours. I have too much work to do to hang around some restaurant all night."

Chase put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Understood." Two hours wasn't much time, but it would be more than enough time to get some decent food into her and maybe give her a short break from her never-ending pile of work. "I'll pick you up at six," he added even though they both knew that by "pick her up" he meant "drag her out of the command center".

She nodded and as she returned her focus to the experiment she was working on, Chase took out his phone to make a reservation at the restaurant.

 

*

 

**Riley**

"Oh no," Ms. Morgan exclaimed three hours into their search. They were looking for Sledge's newest monster -- one who had the ability to hide itself from their sensors.

"Did you find it?" Riley asked.

"No, it's not that," she replied and sighed. "I totally forgot to make next month's schedule for the café and this month is ending tomorrow." She ran a hand through her hair. Riley noticed that it was starting to escape from her ponytail, and her unpolished look reminded him just how hard she'd been working lately.

"I can do it," he volunteered and when she looked up at him, he shrugged. "It just involves going through everyone's availability, plugging that into a calendar and confirming that calendar with everyone, right?"

Ms. Morgan blinked at him, seeming surprised. "Yes," she said slowly. "That's the gist of it."

"Do you have everyone's availability already?" he asked. 

She blinked at him some more. "You don't have to do this," she told him.

"I know, but this way you have one less thing to worry about and that means you can focus on finding our monster."

She seemed to acknowledge that his logic was sound, because she leaned behind her and grabbed her laptop off a nearby shelf. She opened it, typed a few things and when she handed it to him, it was opened to a folder named "Café Schedules". "A few days ago, I compiled everyone's availability into a spreadsheet. It's in this folder along with previous schedules that you can use as a reference."

"Alright," he said. "Leave it to me."

He noticed that she was watching him as he set up the laptop on the table across from her. He also noticed that she opened her mouth as if to say something and then seemed to hesitate. 

"Ms. Morgan?" he asked.

"I just." She seemed to hesitate again, pursing her lips before continuing, "I just wanted to say that I appreciate you doing this for me."

"Oh," Riley said, and he smiled at her. "No worries. After all, what are friends for?"

 

*

 

**Koda**

Koda woke in the middle of the night feeling thirsty, so he got out of bed and went to the kitchenette to pour himself a glass of water.

On his way back to his cave, he wondered if Kendall was still up and passed through the command center. The lights were still on, but the center was quiet and the computers weren't making the beeping noises they did when Kendall was running an experiment.

Koda figured that Kendall had finally gone home and went to turn the lights off -- he was instructed to turn them off when no one was using a room -- when he spotted Kendall slumped over her workbench. Her eyes were closed, and her back rose and fell in time with her breathing. The sight was a familiar one to Koda who had seen Kendall fall asleep while working numerous times before. 

Koda watched her for a moment. He knew that she had spent the better part of the past three days doing something to their zords so they could beat Sledge's latest monster. He was glad that she was finally getting some well-deserved rest.

Smiling to himself, Koda went back to his cave and pulled out one of his furs -- one Kendall had gotten for him shortly after he first awoke in this time. He took it back to the command center and carefully draped it over Kendall's shoulders. 

"Goodnight, Kendall," he said softly, and turned off the lights before going back to bed.

 

*

 

**Ivan**

"Ivan?" 

Ivan turned and lifted up the visor on his helmet. Ms. Morgan was standing by the doors of the children's play area, her hands on her hips and her expression confused. 

"Good day, m'lady," Ivan said. "I'm greeting the children."

"I can see that," Ms. Morgan said as she walked towards him. "Why are you greeting children?"

"I learned you were having difficulties," Ivan replied and then he turned back around so that he could pose for a digital portrait with a small child.

"Difficulties?" she asked.

"Yes. Last evening, you mentioned to Keeper that the -- how did you put it? -- 'dinosaur mascot' you had arranged to greet the children today was unable to make it. You seemed disappointed that you had no time to arrange a substitute greeter given Sledge's vile attack."

Ms. Morgan seemed surprised. "You heard that?" 

"I did," Ivan confirmed. "And so I decided to fulfil that duty." It was no hardship for him to greet children, and he had gathered that they would enjoy his presence more if he was wearing his suit of armor. 

"Oh," she said, and she sounded strangely flustered. "I was just coming here to cancel the--"

A small child nervously approached Ivan and Ivan bent down on one knee to offer her what Chase had told him was called a "high five". The child gingerly touched her palm to Ivan's, staring up at his face in awe, before one of her guardians gently pulled her away.

Ivan stood and when he faced Ms. Morgan once again, he noticed that the corner of her mouth was quirked upwards into a smile and that she no longer seemed like she was confused. "You were saying, Ms. Morgan?"

She shook her head as if to clear it, but she was still smiling when she said, "It doesn't matter. Thank you for doing this, Ivan."

"It is my pleasure," he told her honestly.

 

*

 

**Phillip**

"The museum's numbers have been lower than expected," Ms. Morgan said soberly. "And I just got word that if we don't bring them up, and I mean _way_ up, there's a chance the funders will force us to make some cuts."

With little grace, Ms. Morgan sat down on a nearby workbench and buried her face in her hands. Phillip didn't know Ms. Morgan well, but even he could tell that she was extremely distressed. 

"Down?" Tyler asked. "But I thought the museum's been busy."

"It hasn't been as busy as the funders would've liked," Ms. Morgan explained, her voice slightly muffled by her hands. "It didn't help that we had an exhibit taken from us after we promoted it for months."

Phillip noticed that some of the other rangers glanced in his direction and he frowned. When he had reclaimed Zandar's national treasures, he hadn't given any thought to the potential consequences to the museum. If what Ms. Morgan was saying was true, it was his fault that the museum was going through hard times. It was also his fault that Ms. Morgan was so stressed and worried. 

As the other rangers began to ask Ms. Morgan questions about what the cuts could look like and tried to reassure her that they'd figure out a way to keep the museum running smoothly, Phillip cleared his throat.

"What if the museum were to receive a sizable donation?" he asked.

Ms. Morgan abruptly lifted her head from her hands. Staring straight at him, she said, "I don't blame you, and I won't ask that from you."

Phillip stared back at her. "I'm simply wondering if the museum should be compensated for the unannounced reclamation of our national treasures. Would two million American dollars suffice?" He knew that such a donation from Zander would also combat the negative press he figured the museum had gotten when they lost the exhibit.

Ms. Morgan's eyes went wide and she opened her mouth, but no sound came out. None of the other rangers said a word, and it was as if they, like him, were waiting for her reaction.

For a long moment, Ms. Morgan simply stared at him, but then she began to blink rapidly, and Phillip was shocked to realize that she was fighting tears.

"That..." she started, but her voice wavered. She huffed out a breath that sounded both surprised and relieved, and her voice was steadier when she said, "That would be more than sufficient."

"I'll make the necessary arrangements," he told her, and as the other rangers began to cheer, he found himself watching the way the tension in her shoulders seemed to ease.

 

*

 

**Shelby**

When Shelby entered the command center and found Ms. Morgan crouched over her workbench, she immediately noticed that Ms. Morgan was wearing the same shirt she had been wearing for the past three days. She also noticed the deep, dark circles under her eyes.

"When was the last time you went home?" Shelby asked.

Ms. Morgan looked up from the charger she was working on. "Shelby? What are you doing here this late?"

"Forgot my keys," she said, holding them up for Ms. Morgan to see. She didn't ask why Ms. Morgan was working late. She knew that between being the museum director and supporting the rangers, Ms. Morgan worked at least two full-time jobs.

"Are you still trying to re-calibrate the dino chargers so they'll absorb the energem's energy more quickly?" Shelby asked, walking towards Ms. Morgan so she could get a closer look at what she was working on.

"Yes, that's what I'm _trying_ to do," Ms. Morgan replied with a frustrated-sounding sigh. 

"I think you should let me help."

Ms. Morgan blinked up at her in surprise. "What?"

"Remember when we built the E-Tracer? We work well together. And you know what they say: 'many hands make light work.'" It wasn't just that Shelby wanted the chance to work with Ms. Morgan again. She also knew that the sooner the adjustments to the chargers were finished, the sooner Ms. Morgan would be able to rest.

When Ms. Morgan didn't appear convinced, Shelby asked, "Instead of re-calibrating the chargers themselves, have you thought about making changes to the charging station?"

As Ms. Morgan seemed to consider Shelby's suggestion, she sat up straighter. "No, but if we alter the alignment of the dampener in the changing station then we might be about to--"

"--increase the chargers' energy absorption more easily," Shelby finished for her.

Ms. Morgan reached for her laptop and Shelby grinned. "Does this mean I can help?"

"Alright," Ms. Morgan said. "But you have a shift tomorrow, so you should only stay for a few hours."

Shelby wanted to laugh at that -- at how Ms. Morgan made sure to take care of them even when she was so bad at taking care of herself. Instead, Shelby said, "Okay, but I have a condition of my own. After the upgrades to the charging station are complete, you have to go home and sleep in your own bed."

Ms. Morgan startled at that. "You want me to sleep?" she repeated.

"In your own bed," Shelby confirmed. "Do we have a deal?"

For a moment, Mr. Morgan stared at Shelby like she was a puzzle she couldn't quite figure out, but then she seemed to clue in to what Shelby was doing. She snorted like she was amused, but she smiled softly at Shelby as she replied, "Deal."

 

*

 

**Tyler**

Ms. Morgan coughed so hard she almost fell off her workbench, and Tyler was at her side in an instant.

"I'm fine," Ms. Morgan said as Tyler helped her sit up. Considering how terrible she sounded and how she was swaying against him, her words were anything but convincing. 

"You're not fine. You need rest," he said.

She pulled away from him and turned her attention back to her laptop. "What I need to do is finish these adjustments. And put in the food order for the café. And--" She started coughing again and then groaned. "I can't rest yet. Anyway, your shift's not over. You should go back to work."

Even though Tyler was worried about her health, he did what she asked, but as he walked up the stairs towards the café, he got an idea. 

The second he was back at Dino Bites, he called everyone into the kitchen and told them, "Ms. Morgan is really sick."

"Let me guess," Shelby said. "She hasn't taken care of herself so the cold she's had for the past week has gotten worse."

"Way worse," Tyler confirmed. "And she said that she won't rest until all the work she has to do is done."

"Then she's due to rest--" Chase made a face. "--approximately never." 

"Yeah, about that. I have a plan," Tyler said and then told them all what he was thinking.

Their shift ended an hour later, but it wasn't until almost hour after that that they were ready. Together, they all travelled down to the command center, and Tyler wasn't surprised to see that Ms. Morgan was exactly where he left her. She was in the process of blowing her nose when they entered and she seemed wary when she noticed them.

"I'm too busy for whatever it is you want me to do," she said, and somehow she sounded even more congested than she had earlier.

"Actually, we're here to do something for you," Tyler explained.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. 

Chase stepped forward with the bowl of soup that he had prepared for her and placed it on her workbench next to her laptop along with a spoon and napkin. "We heard from Tyler that you were feeling worse," he explained. "Homemade. My mother's recipe."

She looked up at Chase, startled.

Ivan stepped forward next, holding up an invoice. "And we completed your order of foodstuffs!"

Ms. Morgan immediately shifted her attention to him. "But the inventory hasn't been completed yet and that takes _hours_."

Riley put one of his arms over Ivan's shoulders and said, "Well, it turns out it takes a lot less time when five people are working on it."

Before Ms. Morgan could react, Shelby dropped down into the seat on the other side of her workbench and said, "You know, you could let me take care of the adjustments to the chargers."

Ms. Morgan stared at her for a long moment, and then, slowly, she turned to look at each and every one of them. "You all..." She trailed off, her eyes wide in surprise.

"We want you get better," Koda said.

"We know you want to work, but you won't be able do much of anything if you get any sicker," Chase pointed out, nudging the soup bowl a little closer to her. "Try some."

Looking bewildered, she picked up the spoon with one hand, and the bowl of soup with the other. After having a spoonful, she said, "I appreciate this, I really do, but I can't just leave--"

"Yes, you can," Tyler said in his best red ranger voice -- the one that made people want to listen to him -- and she met his gaze. "You do so much work for us. You maintain this base, you keep track of Sledge, and you make our chargers, our weapons, our communicators and everything else we use. Without you, we wouldn't be able to keep the city safe. We rely on you every single day. All we're asking is that, just this once, you rely on us. Tell us what needs to get done, and let us help you. Then please let me drive you home so you can rest and focus on getting better." 

She was silent as she seemed to consider his words. Then she took a deep, shaky-sounding breath. "None of you have to do this," she said.

"We know we don't," Tyler told her. "We _want_ to do this."

"Let us help, Ms. Morgan," Shelby said.

Chase grinned at her. "I'm actually volunteering to do work. You should probably take advantage of this."

She looked around at all of them again, and it didn't escape Tyler's attention that her eyes seemed to become increasingly glassy as she did so. "Okay," she said. "I'll make a list of the things that need to get done."

Later, when Tyler was helping her into his jeep, she smiled at him, eyes still bright with unshed tears, and it was obvious to him how grateful she felt even before she said, "Thank you."


End file.
